Rises (9)
(Other definitions for escalates that I've seen before include "Increases in intensity" , "Steps up" .)
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">rises</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">('ascend' can be a synonym of 'rise')</span><br/ ><br/ >This is the entire clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for ascends that I've seen before include "Rises" , "Moves upwards" , "Travels upwards" , "Climbs, mounts" .)